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I have so
many wonderful, funny, happy memories of Jerry in the 7 or so years
I knew him. He was one of the "mad 5", the 5 of us who
founded FuRR and weathered the first rocky years together. Jerry
never met a cat who needed help that he wasn't right there offering
to do whatever the cat needed. I will never forget many things about
Jerry but I think what stands out in my mind is his love for and
commitment to feral cats and TNR (trap, sterilize, and release).
A couple of years ago I had finally trapped a rip-roaring feral
fella who I'd been trying to get for nearly a month. On the weekends
I made multiple trips down by the airport checking the trap I had
set for him. Jerry made some trips down to check, too. When I finally
trapped him Jerry took him to a vet which we hadn't used much in
order for him to be neutered as soon as possible.
This big gray fella proceeded to chomp down on the hand of one of
the clinic staff. They called Jerry and said that the cat would
have to be boarded there for 10 days in case of rabies - and that
rather than put out that kind of money and effort, didn't Jerry
want them to just euthanize the cat. That roar probably heard for
miles was Jerry telling them NO, in no uncertain terms. The cat
was NOT to be euthanized - for one thing, he told them, there was
a person who loved that cat and wouldn't take kindly to him being
killed!
Well, that cat was my wild Rennie, who now lives outdoors at my
house and shows up for breakfast and dinner, seldom leaves the yard,
loved my elderly dog, and now comes up to within a few feet of me.
Now Rennie is another little living memorial to Jerry's kindness
and compassion.
There is an old auto repair shop near the Capitol
Building in Little Rock. The owner was taking care of some feral cats
and his indoor cats and had difficulty affording food and care. Jerry
had the cats sterlized and provided him cat food and helped him however
he could.
One stormy and icy cold night, one of the outdoor cats showed
up very sick and could not move. The owner called Jerry and he arrived
quickly and took the cat to the emergency clinic. Although the cat
did not survive, Jerry had the vet try everything he could. Jerry
paid the bill.
One night, Jerry was at the emergency clinic and someone
showed up with an injured animal, not their own, and couldn't afford
the expense. Jerry picked up the tab without being asked.
Jerry helped Barbara and me get our 501C3 status and tax exempt status for
Ali's Alley Cats, Inc. He patiently helped us, step by step, and answered
all of our many questions about how to fill out the forms. We could
not have done it without his help.
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I never
had the pleasure of meeting Jerry, but I know of his generosity
and big heart. Shortly after starting to answer voice mail, I had
a gentleman that called in. He was so overwhelmed by what he thought
was FuRR’s generosity that he was moved to tears. I listened
to him relate the story of his cat being attacked and Jerry taking
the cat to Green Mountain to be patched up. When the cat was released,
Jerry took the cat home to nurse it for a few days because the gentleman
was so afraid he would not do something right. I never once told
the man that Jerry had paid for that out of his pocket not FuRR’s
. I knew that if Jerry wanted the man to know, he would have told
him. This was my small glimpse of a very giving man.
Jerry was always supportive from
the vey start of the monthly FuRR spay/neuter clinics and felt nobody
should suffer for volunteering their time to help cats. So he always
made sure to bring lunch and dinner (those days when we stayed well
past dark & then some!) for everyone, every time, for every
clinic.
He always reminded me of Santa
Claus coming around the corner with big bags of food in hand and
a great big smile on his face. He loved being generous. If he knew
he was going to be out of town on clinic day, he always made sure
to leave enough money with someone so they could go pick up the
food in his stead.
He is missed very much by all of
us who knew him - but the kitties lost the most when he left this
world.
Jerry, your
heart beat with the unique rhythm for cats, one that only we cat
folks understand. I believe you are at peace now, listening to the
purr of over thousands of felines, which all are already sterilized
of course. I loved you my dear friend and I miss you greatly.
I had a little foster kitten,
which was not doing so well, heading downhill fast. Still fairly
new at fostering, I called the Director of FuRR and asked her opinion.
She asked me to meet her at a foster home in LR to assess the kitten.
When I pulled up, Jerry was there doing his daily routine &
cleaning for the cats. He asked what was going on with the 'baby'
and I explained it to him. Just then the Director drove up and came
inside. She assessed the kitten and suspected the fatal illness
FIP, of which there is no test for - euthanasia would be the kindest
thing.
My heart sank as I held the kitten there in the kitchen. Jerry,
without saying a word to us, pulled out his phone and called a nearby
vet, with which he had a good rapport. "Hey Doc, this is Jerry.
Hey, I've got a gal with a sick kitten here; can you take a look
real quick? Ok, she'll be there in a few mins. Just put it on my
tab, ok, thanks." And that was that.
I went to the vet he had called. The kitten did not have FIP and
after a round of meds, recovered just fine and found a good home.
I thanked him later that week. Just another day of helping a kitty
- but it was life or death for this one!
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